Earth's Mightiest (and most backwards) Heroes
by HallowQuinn
Summary: Dealing with the high profile, low recognition job of being a S.H.I.E.L.D Agent was almost perfect. That is until the real-human incidents of the Heroes come to the forefront. Dealing with the realization that they're just like any other average joe, on top of the new, and very dangerous threat of enemies joining forces is almost too much to handle for this girl. Rate for Language
1. Chapter 1

**_Quick note before I begin. This story is a bit of a corssover, based on marvel comics universes and situations. The Avengers is the main premise, taking ideas from the facebook game Marvel Avengers: Alliance. The X-men are also involved, so it's one bit cluster of all things Marvel. I'm going to try and be as accurate to the characters as possible._**

**_I do not own any marvel related things. Because if I did, I wouldn't be here writing fanfictions._**  
**_I do own any original character._**

**_Thanks in advance for reading this, it's much appreciated ^^_**

If the thought that superheroes were mentally stable, or in any way normal had ever crossed her mind, she would have been dead wrong. They were just as bad as humans. Sometimes even as bad as the villains they so valiantly fought. And their love lives were ass backwards. The love triangles were enough to give anyone a headache. The sneaky glances with puppy eyes, or the covert trysts were never ending. You would think one would run out of places to run off to on a helicarrier, but apparently that was not the case.

The sound of a deep, booming voice behind her had been enough to snap her out of her thoughts. It was a voice she had no interest whatsoever in hearing again any time soon, but the man was adamant that she listen to him. It didn't hurt that he was breathtaking. It wasn't his fault, blah blah. She picked up the pace as she strode purposefully down the hallway, her booted feet making almost no noise. If S.H.I.E.L.D was good for anything, aside from the obvious, it was having top of the line uniforms and weapons. While Oliviya was not a huge fan of the whole uniform thing, she had to at least admit that it was a pretty spectacular set of threads.

"Liv, I would be most obliged if you would take a moment to listen to me." the voice almost pleaded behind her. At this, she stopped, and clenched her teeth. Liv. He had no right to call her 'Liv' ever again. Though the sound of her pet name from his lips was enough to make her melt, she had to keep her composure. And her anger. Otherwise, all of this was for nothing.

"No, you listen to me, Thor Odinson. I do not want to see or hear you ever again. If you think that what you did is even remotely acceptable, you have another thing coming." she snapped evenly, whirling to face the large blonde man. "Go string your other human along. I don't have time for this. Fury is ticked, and I have to go get my ass chewed." she continued, a glare on her face that could freeze a normal man in his tracks. Unfortunately, Thor was not a normal man.

She had unfortunately fallen for his very clever guise, and she wouldn't be making that mistake again. Not only had he convinced her that he was in love with her, he brought her to Asgard, only to be thrown into a cell by Odin, and threatened by a very angry Sif. That wasn't something she wanted to relive. Shield maidens were downright terrifying. And they wielded very large, very sharp weapons with an ease that would make a strong man competitor look like a weakling. Shaking her head she lifted her dark gaze to the demi-god.

"Seriously. Leave me alone. I'll talk to you when I'm damn well good and ready, and not a moment sooner." she finished, moving down the hallway, leaving the man in her wake to contemplate what she had said, including her very clever, and very urban twist of words. She highly doubted an "ass chewing" meant the same thing on Asgard as it did here. She could have found out for herself if she had actually gotten to see the place as she had been told she would. She had only been used for what they thought she could do. And of course found out that it was indeed the case.

It almost hurt her to be so cold, but it was much better that way. If she let herself get involved in anymore superhero love triangles, she was sure to lose her mind. Or her head. Though she supposed, it wasn't as bad as it could be. At least she wasn't part of the Remy-Jean-Scott-Logan-Anne Marie nonsense. Now that lot was just plain nonsense. She had given up on trying to wrap her head around what was going on in that group. Not to mention Wanda and Pietro. And Vision. They were worse than a bunch of horny teenagers at an unsupervised prom.

She shook her head as she pushed her way into her small cabin. A cabin she had to share with another S.H.I.E.L.D agent named Jaqueline. Though she preferred to be called Jackie. And if there was ever a person to enjoy the relationship drama, it was her. She treated it like her own personal "People" magazine. It was a surprise she wasn't making an E-zine documenting all of the ridiculous things going on. Oliviya was sure it was only a matter of time. Though, it would require Jackie documenting her role in all of it, and Oliviya wasn't so sure that she'd admit to being a raging whore. Despite that small fact, Oliviya had come to enjoy the company of the other female. Which was in itself a rarity. If Oliviya had to be around people, she preferred males. They were less dramatic. Or she thought so before this job.

"Did you talk to tall, gorgeous, and godly yet? He was by here earlier asking for you. He looked convincingly upset." she asked, rolling over onto her stomach to stare at her roommate, a dark twinkle in her eye. Oh, she was just eating this up.

Oliviya rolled her eyes and huffed lightly. "Yeah. He caught up with me, to my great displeasure. His upset face is a ruse to lure you into helping him out. It's all a trap." she replied, glaring back pointedly at her roommate. Hopefully the look was enough to make her drop it.

With Jackie, it was never that easy. Especially when there was testosterone machines involved.

"Hm. Okay so you're not interested anymore?" Jackie asked, a smirk on her face. She wasn't a bad looking girl. She was gorgeous even, by many standards. White-blonde hair and green eyes, and a small, almost pixie like build. She was the carriers resident hacker, and she was damn good at it. The sweet face had surely gotten her out of a bind more often than not.

"Jackie, if you're asking me if it's appropriate to sleep with him, I'd really prefer that you didn't. I mean... it's not like you're going to listen to me one way or the other, but it would be really awesome if you just left him to wallow in his pity. He deserves it. Don't coddle him. He's got Jane for that, evidently " Olivya said with a frown, pulling pants out of her drawer, shedding the S.H.I.E.L.D uniform to quickly slide into the hole-infested jeans. "Oh, and not to mention the Lady Sif, who by the way is fucking gorgeous. He's a woman collector. It's disgusting. The only normal one in that family is Loki, and he's not even really part of their family."

"Loki? You can't be serious. The Loki that tried to destroy all of earth not even a year and a half ago?" Jackie said, sitting up quickly and staring incredulously down at Oliviya. Jackie had been a new recruit to the agents, as had Oliviya, but they had both been filled in, in great detail on the previous adventures of the Avengers.

"Yeah. Actually I am serious. And I can almost see why he did so. Thor practically gets worshiped everywhere he goes, and Loki gets to rot away in a cell. Or rather, almost got to rot away in a cell. Speaking of which, I'm actually on my way to get scolded by Director Eye-patch, so we'll have to talk later." Oliviya said with a small smirk. She held no regret for what she had done. It had been life or death, and honestly, the choice was worth it. She pulled a plain black shirt out of her drawer and quickly pulled it on over her torso and turned to Jackie, who was practically burning a hole in the back of her head.

"Tell me you did not do what I think you did. Please." Jackie said, her sea-green eyes widening.

"Free Loki? Yeah. I did." Oliviya said, before slipping back out the door, donning her street clothes and a suitcase. She was entirely sure this particular antic would surely get her shit-canned for good.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk to the office of Director Nick Fury wasn't as shameful as she had thought it would have been. Sure, the glares from the fellow agents had told her that the news had spread like wildfire. She still maintained that the deal she made with Loki was entirely worth it. If he screwed up, it was his ass. She could die in the process, but she was lucky to be alive as it was, so this was all just a second chance. With a slight twist of course. She was tied to Loki. The silver tongue. This could all entirely be a ruse, but she didn't feel that when he had struck the deal. It was all a blur beyond that, but she shook on it. And she was nothing if she didn't have her word. It was a lot more than she could say for some people.

Ignoring the stares, she let her legs carry her to the main office, the place where Fury spent most of his time. Incidentally, it also doubled as one of the debriefing rooms. One of. The rest were of varying sizes, all depending on the amount of people that were needed in the meetings. This one was small. Usually only intended for the most important people. Natasha Romanov and Maria Hill. And Coulson. Before he had passed. Oliviya frowned momentarily. She had met Coulson only briefly, when she was being put through the motions of recruitment for the 'normies', or the regular old joes. He had seemed nice enough. Stern, but nice. It was a shame that he had to be killed. By Loki. She let out an exhale and let herself in, wondering what type of awful punishment awaited her for this treason.

Her eyes searched the faces of the inhabitants of the room. Natasha was there, her eyes scanning Oliviya. Next to her was Clint Barton, or Hawkeye. And Fury. And of course, the current Bane of her existence Thor. Surprisingly, Loki was also present, though he was cuffed in some sort of contraption that was undoubtedly Stark Industries. Oliviya rolled her eyes. As if Loki would try something so soon. He wasn't stupid. He was probably mentally scanning the inside of the helicarrier. Looking for any sign of weakness. While he may have claimed to mean well in his cell on Asgard, the rules were different down here. But they had bigger fish to fry. Loki, at this point, was the least of their worries, and Fury should be informed.

"I assume you're aware of why you're here?" the dark man said at the head of the table. "Have a seat. We have a lot to discuss." he said, indicating a chair, surrounded by a half circle of chairs that held everyone else. She was definitely on trial. In a makeshift courtroom. On a Helicarrier secretly funded by the highest government. Surely she was ultimately screwed.

"I'd rather stand." she said, pursing her lips and shifting uneasily.

"You should really sit, my friend. They surely won't be letting you off easy." the voice of Loki said from her left. She turned and narrowed her eyes at him, and was about to snap something at him, but Fury cut her off.

"We didn't give you permission to speak. As far as I'm concerned, you're still a criminal. A high security criminal. Who enjoys spinning webs of lies." he said. "Miss Avalon, take a seat."

"I'm flattered. You know partially of my resume. I would have thought our last encounter would have given you more insight." Loki said, a small smile adorning his face.

"We know all of your resume, now if you don't still that silver tongue of yours, we will still it for you. And I highly doubt you'll enjoy that. Miss Avalon. Sit your ass down." Fury snapped, pointing at the seat with more force.

Oliviya quickly sat, not being a fan of people raising their voices. She fidgeted in the silence that Fury was surely using as a scare tactic.

"Alright. Now you claim that you released this maximum security threat as a defense. Please explain." Fury said.

Oliviya furrowed her brow. He was allowing an explanation? She was expecting the firing squad. She hated being put on the spot. She always fumbled her words, unable to correctly get the story straight. Forgetting details. She glanced down at her feet before looking up at Fury.

"I was taken to Asgard under false pretenses." Oliviya began, shooting a glare at Thor for good measure. "Thor can fill you in on those particular details if you need them-"

"I'm not interested in the Days of Our Lives, Agent. Important facts." Fury snapped.

"That is important, sir. Because for some reason, Thor seemed to think I have special healing powers. The power to use energy to heal not only people but objects. I'm not sure where he got this idea, but I'm assuming it was from one of your fancy 'only-for-superheroes' debreifings. Because surely I didn't come up with that nonsensical story on my own." she said, keeping her face blank, even though she wanted to poke Fury in his good eye.

He was a nice guy, sure, but he was very prone to keeping important details out if he thought it could push the mission the way he wanted. She respected him as a leader, because he was a damn good one. But it drove her mad when he had secret reasons for recruiting everyone he brought aboard. It was maddening to think that the cook could have radiation powers, or her roommate could sprout wings. Nobody but Fury knew.

"In any case, Thor came back to earth after the last go-around with the Chitauri, and he used checking on the helicarrier as an excuse to get close to me. To learn of my powers. While I admit, I was learning energy healing, thats something everyone can do. It's not special. It's universal. Japanese doctors started that shit eons ago. He could have gripped up a Japanese dude and spirited him away to Asgard. But no. He went out of his way to get close to me. He took me to Asgard, and apparently didn't tell daddy dearest, because Odin immediately threw me in a cell. Why I got punished, I'm not entirely sure. But alas, I spent most my my days in the rather lavish dungeon area, next to our good friend Loki. Come to find out there was also other inmates locked away. Inmates that were pretty damn lethal. Inmates that were biding their time. I'll get to that momentarily. Because I really want to know...Why do you have me here?" she asked, staring at Fury. Hoping he'd break under her gaze. No such luck.

"You're here because you have gifts that are pertinent to our mission of protecting the earth. Did you accomplish what Thor took you to Asgard to do?" he asked evenly.

"Yes."

"Then what is your issue?"

"My issue is that how the flying fuck is it possible for someone to fix the rainbow goddamn bridge with energy healing? Furthermore, why am I being punished when I was almost killed by a Chitauri in the cells beneath Asgard? The only reason I am here right now is because Loki helped me." Oliviya said, losing the control over her tone. "I watched a Chitauri take over the body of a guard and then proceed to free the rest of the prisoners. When he...it... got to my cell, it made what I can only assume is a crude gesture and made an attempt at ripping me apart. Or I think that's what happened. It was all kind of a blur. I blacked out. Whether from fear or rage, I don't know. If I were the Hulk, we would have had no problem, but I'm not. Loki was separated from me by a few bars, because I was no real threat apparently. I guess me being there threw off their energy fields, and I freed Loki. He promised he would save me if I let him return with me when I was released. If I would lie to Odin and all of Asgard, tell them that he was let go with all the other prisoners. And was probably in hiding. Clearly that didn't work out well for either of us. I think I passed out around there. For a little while at least. When I woke up, Blondie was hovering over me, telling me that it was time to go home. I didn't know where Loki was. Until you guys gripped me back up. You know the rest." Oliviya said.

Fury sat for a moment, staring, his eye piercing into Oliviya. She imagined his other eye would have probably been doing the same thing, if it were there. She had to try to keep it together. She was sure her blackout had been full of crucial information. She wasn't sure if it was some intentional trick by Loki, or if she had actually pulled a fainting goat and dropped. She hoped it was Loki's doing.

"What we know is that Thor took care of the straggling prisoners. All aside from Loki and the Chitauri. And you. Though you were not meant to be a prisoner." Fury finally said.

"Which returns me to my previous question, sir." she said, hoping that by throwing the 'sir' at the end of her statement, it would prompt him to answer her question.

"We have Loki in custody. And he seems to be willing to participate, however we don't trust him. The Chitauri is gone." Fury continued.

"With all due...respect, Director...If you did not acquire the Chitauri, you have a much bigger problem on your hands than little ole me." Loki said, speaking up after evidently listening to the whole story from Oliviya's point of view.

"And why should I believe you?" the director asked, turning his stern gaze to the god of mischief.

"I have nothing to gain or lose here. The Chitauri want revenge on me just as much as on the human race. The creature had been biding it's time in the cells, waiting for the chance to get to me. To take me to it's leader. I did, after all, fail to hand over the tesseract, thanks to you and your band of fools. Luckily for me, I had a boon. A little bird relayed the information that Thor was pleading with Odin to let the girl out. That she had powers was the whole point. Special powers. Strange, if you will." Loki said, a sly glint in his green eyes. "I merely took a chance on her. Fear works wonders on kicking dormant skills to the forefront. And that's what happened. If you would have asked me, we could have been done with this little show before it started." he said, sitting calmly between two agents with their guns ready.

"Her powers should never have been exploited. Thor is answering for that, I'm sure." Fury replied. "What of the Chitauri?" he prodded.

"Oh, they have ways of communicating that are beyond what even I can fathom. Surely you don't think I am still in cahoots with them? They want my head. What I brought to you was not all of their power. That was a scratch on the surface. Though they need time to rebuild. Your Stark did quite a number on them with your earth weapon. They have scouts. They now know that your Avengers exist. They know of the powers of each of them. That particular creature in the cells let himself be caught. He spent endless hours tormenting me. Promising that I would be tortured in millions of unspeakable ways. He is the equivalent of a Scout. But worse. This breed has the ability to invade the body of another. Uses it as a host in the most horrible way. The person is dead as soon as the Chitauri enters them. It's an easy way to infiltrate your governments, to be sure." Loki spoke, looking like he was getting a sick amusement out of informing the group about them.

"I saw it happen." Oliviya said, butting in. "It's one of the grossest things I've ever seen...next to midget porn." she said.

"Inappropriate, Miss Avalon." Fury snapped. "We have enough trouble on our hands with the appearance of this ISO substance, and now you're telling me that the Chitauri are here, using the bodies of every day people to gain insight on us?"

"It would appear so, yes." Loki said, his glance sliding to Oliviya, who fidgeted in her seat. "If you really want to get ahead of the curve, I would suggest you find a better defense. Your crew won't fool them this time."

"You're in no position to give me orders." Fury said. He leaned close to Natasha, whispered something quickly, before she disappeared out the door. Oliviya closed her eyes, wondering how much longer this would go on for.

"No, of course not. But what is it you plan to do with me?" Loki asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

"And me." Oliviya said, keeping her eyes closed, reaching her focus out to each of the people in the room. It was something Loki had pushed her to do in the cell. To use her own personal bubble, or aura to feel out others. He seemed to know more about her than she did. Which turned out to be because he had found a way to eavesdrop on Thor. From a cell. He was a many sided confusing rubiks cube. And he saved her life.

"You're staying under constant surveillance. You're not to leave the helicarrier. Thanks to our new technology, you're free to move about as you choose." Fury said toward Loki.

"Ah, I would assume you mean the chip you so graciously inserted into my body. You treat me like a common animal. I could be a help to you, and yet you do not trust." Loki replied, eyes locked in the gaze of Fury.

"When you can prove to us that you mean well, we can talk of your release. Until then, You will be kept here. The Chitauri cannot possibly know you are here."

"You underestimate the power of your enemies." Loki replied.

"And you underestimate the power of S.H.I.E.L.D." Fury snapped back. "Uncuff him. He is powerless on this carrier. And I'm a man of my word. You get free reign of the ship. You step one toe out of line and you'll be full of bullets faster than you can say "mischief." he continued. His gaze turned to Oliviya. "As for you, you would have gotten a suspension, however you're a good agent, and up until the Asgard incident, have been cooperative. We need as many hands as we can get. You're being moved from software to field work. You'll be working closely with any and all individuals we bring on this ship. You requested you stay off the front line, your request has been denied." he replied.

Oliviya's eyes snapped open as fear gripped her. She was no good in the field. It would mean being face to face with all of the enemies massing on the streets below. She was not a combat expert. She could defend herself if it called for it, but she was not cut to fight enemies. She had seen the outcome of some of those battles first hand in the infirmary when she had first tried her hand at healing. She nodded slightly before standing.

"Am I free to go?" she asked, keeping her voice steady, despite the terror that gripped her.

Fury nodded at the both of them and she excused herself from the room, needing to get some air. And a smoke. That trial had taken a lot out of her. And she had a lot to ponder. Too much, almost, for her to handle. She mentally cursed Loki for not killing the alien when he had the chance. Sure, his powers were dulled in the cells, but surely if he had a trick for getting information, he had a trick for killing. She hoped that it wasn't part of his ultimate plan. She had trusted the guy with her life. She hoped it wasn't a life-threatening mistake.


	3. Chapter 3

Oliviya thanked whatever higher powers that be that there was no one in the hallway when she removed herself from the company of the Director and his favorite cronies. She had once admired Natasha for her martial arts abilities, but being on the other end of the spectrum, facing her as a potential enemy was not an experience she cared to repeat. The woman may not have had superpowers, but she was just as lethal as anyone else that claimed superhero status. And she would do as Fury told her, regardless of any prior friendship.

Letting her legs carry her to the upper deck of the ship, the open air hit her. It had become only slightly harder to breathe with the elevation, but Oliviya wasted no time in pulling her cigarettes from her pockets and lighting one. She had repeatedly requested a smoking room be added to the helicarrier for the agents, but considering she was the one who created the flashy 'suggestion' box, it was no wonder that Fury ignored it. He wasn't one to deviate away from his solid plan of saving the earth. Apparently keeping toxic cigarette smoke out of the ozone was part of his schtick too.

She let her eyes scan the clouds before her as the chilly air nipped at her skin. She wasn't looking foreward to combat training. While she was almost excited about playing with all the cool toys, she wasn't happy about her punishment. Then again, those with punishments were rarely thankful for what they were given. She would have accepted a suspension over front line. Her mind wandered back to the first agent she had tried to heal. He had been on the front line with Hawkeye and Natasha. Equipped with all of the top of the line, alien-maiming weaponry. And that included some defense items too. Nothing had prepared her to see the outcome of real war.

It had been chemical burn. Whatever the enemy was concocting in their labs was far beyond anything Oliviya had every seen. Or cared to see. One shot of the substance had literally melted away the agent's limbs. Anything it had touched was reduced to a dripping mass of human goo. And the smell was the worst. The infirmary did everything they could to help the poor dude, but it hadn't been enough. Oliviya felt guilty for not being able to help. She had frozen as soon as she saw the puddles of what was skin and blood and bone. Fury had pulled her from the infirmary duty when she started having anxiety with every agent that entered. She couldn't help it. It was always something awful. Some terrible injury created by the men and women against them.

And she would personally be facing it. She would be in charge of teams, deploys and combat. If she were anyone else, it would have been a compliment, but she was terrified. Fury had surely chosen one of the absolute worst forms of punishment, that was for certain. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the light footsteps approach.

"Have you been practicing what I instructed you to?"

Oliviya nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned to face Loki. He looked more like his prior self. Standing at his full height, his eyes flashing in a manner that said he really wasn't phased by being, by all intents and purposes, trapped on the ship.

"Uh. Oh. Yeah a little. During that wonderful little chat with Fury." she said, attempting to cover her thoughts of terror.

"And what did you feel?" he asked, clasping his hands behind his back and moving toward her.

"Fear. From Fury. And you. Interest from Natasha, and Concern from Hawkeye." she said, trying to sort through what she had touched on.

"And my brother?"

"I block him out as much as possible." she replied, a small frown touching her lips. She had no interest in touching on Thor's feelings. He hadn't cared about hers.

"Poor choice. You need now, as much as ever, to be connected to everyone on this ship. If you can't do that, your time in the field will be very short." Loki said. Oliviya didn't have to ask what he meant by short.

"And you care why?" Oliviya prompted. She hadn't had time to talk to him since their return, and she found that she was very curious as to what his motives were.

"Oh, I don't. Not really. If you all perish, all the better for me. However, right now, Fury and his ship full of blind followers are the only thing saving my behind from the Chitauri. Until they're taken care of for good, I'm stuck here. Thanks to you." He replied easily.

"Which is exactly what you wanted." Oliviya said slowly, working it out in her head. Loki wasn't always the most direct. There was often hidden intents in his words, Oliviya was learning that the hard way.

"Perhaps not at first. When you were first sent to the dungeon, I had no thoughts of you or your use to me. Until Thor was pleading for your release. By the time they let you out to repair the bridge, it was too late for them to get even a clue as to where I was. And your lying skills are excellent. I must commend you for that." Loki said.

"You seem to believe in my powers." Oliviya pushed. She hoped Loki would be more apt to share his knowledge than Fury.

"I believe in a lot of things." Loki said, offhandedly. "You need to cease in blocking out my dear brother. The pain of being used will pass."

"How would you know?"

"I know more than your tiny brain can handle, human. Your pathetic feelings are the least of your worries. Letting my brother's idiocy get to you is the worst choice you could make. He is an idiot, and a human lover."

"Pathetic feelings. That's good. You act all buddy buddy in the cell, and now I'm pathetic." Oliviya almost huffed.

"I behaved in a manner that would allow you to trust me. To accomplish my ends. I'm here. I have no more need to play nice." Loki responded, behaving as if to get a rise out of her.

"Spec-fucking-tacular. So please explain to me why you're pushing me to keep trying this feeling thing. If feelings are so pathetic, then why is it important to learn how to judge the moods of others?" Oliviya asked.

"Because you can use it to your advantage. You can easily come out on top if you stay vigilant with what i've taught you." Loki responded.

"Riight. And you've taken this interest in me because?"

"You're bloodline could prove to be useful." Loki said, as if that was the end of the conversation. "Oh. Fury was about to order you to the war room. I presume to make sure you're combat ready. I sincerely hope you're able to handle what your trainers will be dishing out." Loki said, a twinkle in his eyes.

"I think he listened to you. I think he's bringing more people aboard." Oliviya said, crossing her arms, getting about sick of Loki and his vague answers. He was worse than the Cheshire Cat.

"I know he did." Loki said, a small smirk gracing his lips, before he turned his back on her to retreat back to the inside of the ship.

She watched him retreat, watching his almost catlike movements. If there was anyone that made her head spin in the attempt to understand, It was certainly Loki. He had hidden desires. Reasons for being entirely too comfortable on this ship. He wasn't perturbed at all by the fact that he was trapped here. It was almost as if he was enjoying this. That Fury allowed him free reign was all the more freaky. He may have eyes everywhere on the ship, but Loki was still a god. More powerful that Fury gave him credit for. Shaking her head, Oliviya dropped her cigarette butt and stomped it out, before heading back into the bowels of the flying metal construct. She wasn't fired. No, what she was, would be much worse.


	4. Chapter 4

Returning to her room, Oliviya took her time changing her clothes. Fury had directed her to the war room to start her training as a field agent. Jeans and a t-shirt were apparently not appropriate apparel for heavy duty training regimens. She slowly slid the jeans down her legs, moving about her room in her shirt and underwear, wishing Jackie had been there to start some long-winded conversation. Oliviya would have been more than willing at this point to go into great detail on what happened with Loki. As long as she didn't have to go to the training room. She had enjoyed being a techie. She knew the software like the back of her hand, and she was comfortable in the computer chair, safely distanced from the fights below. She feared she'd freeze up when faced with enemies. She wasn't a fighter. She was much better at targeting and locating distress calls or criminal activity. This was going to suck.

After a good half an hour of dragging her feet, Oliviya decided it was time to face the music. If she was to have any chance whatsoever at becoming a decent battle agent, she'd have to get down to the training area and get started on her instructions. She found herself dragging her feet down the hallway, her steps slow and calculated. If anyone had been looking, they would have thought she was practicing for a wedding. In all reality, she was merely wasting more time. Fury would more than likely reprimand her again. For wasting his time. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure he would even be the one to train her. He had people to do that for him. It would probably be Natasha. Not only was she Fury's pet, and a excellent spy, she was also a combat expert. She would be the perfect choice for a teacher. She was also human, and had survived more than her fair share of attacks. It gave Oliviya a small bit of hope for herself. But not much. It was still a terrifying situation.

She sighed as she pushed the door to the war room open, feeling the cool rush of air hit her. Air conditioning. Of course the battle agents had AC. Why wouldn't they be spoiled? Huffing, Oliviya dragged her feet a bit more as she let her legs carry her reluctantly into the area. Her eyes swept the room, taking in the wall of S.H.I.E.L.D weapons, the dummies used for hand to hand combat, and a plethora of other things that would probably prove very useful in a battle when things got a little sticky. She also had no idea what any of the stuff was. Sure, she recognized the difference between a sword and a gun, and could tell what was semi-automatic and what wasn't. She could thank her childhood of video games with her brother for that one. But there were some tools that she only wished she could name. Was that a friggin' lazer beam gun? She let her eyes linger on the wall of weaponry for a little while longer before her chocolate brown orbs re situated on the group that had evidently been tasked with her training. She couldn't say she was thrilled about the situation.

True to her prediction, Natasha Romanov stood, her arms crossed as if irritated that Oliviya had taken so long to appear. But Natasha wasn't what irked Oliviya. It was the blasted blonde god of a man standing next to her, seemingly fiddling with his bracers. Of course Thor would be involved in her training. Not only did Fury want to make damn sure Oliviya was good and punished for her actions, he clearly wanted her to hate her training even more than she already did. Then again, it made sense. Thor was a warrior. Trained from childhood in the arts of War. What better person to recruit to oversee and help her than the God of Thunder himself. Oliviya frowned, moving toward the group of people. There was one she only knew by appearance and reputation. And of course by Jackie's gossip habit. Remy LeBeau, or better known as Gambit. The cajun mutant with the ability to use kinetic energy, and also someone who has extreme skills in martial arts. Oliviya let her gaze travel over the man for a moment. His red-pupiled eyes glittered in amusement as he studied her back. Dropping her gaze, she retreated internally. She didn't like being sized up. She didn't want to be here, lower than a novice among experts in battle.

"Since you took your sweet ass time getting here, I don't have long to debrief you. Fury needs me in the field. We have a surge of crime in the city, near Stark Towers, and Tony's apparently on a bender again. I've got to go find him and bring him here. Thankfully, the Cajun arrived a little while ago and will be able to assist you in combat training in place of me. And of course you know Thor." Natasha said, pity almost creeping into the edge of her voice at the mention of the god.

"Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with the ass jacket." Oliviya muttered. She could feel Thor's eyes burning into her, though she didn't look up to see if it was in anger or hurt. She wasn't sure she would be able to handle either.

"First lesson. You will respect all members of your team at all times. Thor has agreed to stay on the carrier specifically to help get you battle ready. You may not be his biggest fan right now, but he could head back to Asgard and leave us humans to fend for ourselves with this upcoming threat. If you can't learn to work with and respect every person on this ship, you have no place here." Natasha said, staring Oliviya down, a hard look on her face.

"Not his biggest fan is an understatement. To be honest, he'll be more of a distraction than a help. Or have you never expirienced heartbreak?" Oliviya asked, meeting Natasha's hard gaze with a fiery one of her own.

"I have. But I also know that if Thor is a distraction now, there's no chance you'll last on the field. If you think that you get the chance to just pop in, fight the enemy with no difficulties or distractions, you're wrong. You'll have masses of enemies coming at you, victims screaming in agony. If you can't block Thor out now, how do you expect to be useful to us out there? Natasha asked, gesticulating with her hands when she spoke.

"I didn't ask for this."

"No. You didn't, but Fury is too soft to get rid of you."

"He just sends me out to let the enemy dispose of me." Oliviya shot back, anger flaring up in her.

"Nobody on this team now, or recruited in the future has ever intentionally let an agent die. You're not being sent to your death. You're being sent in to help. Because Fury thinks you can. It's more of a compliment than a punishment, so put on your big girl panties and act like an adult. Time for sitting at a computer and playing around with your hacker buddies is over. You're bigger than that." Natasha said, crossing her arms again, looking more stern than Oliviya had ever seen.

"Ah, Cher, I tink yer time is up. Let us handle it from here, yeah?" the heavily accented voice of Remy LeBeau said, from his spot next to Thor. He was leaning on his Bo, relaxed and apparently amused at the conversation unfolding.

"You're right. Contact me if she's any trouble." Natasha said, turning on her heal and walking out. Oliviya stared at the woman's retreating back, half glaring holes in her, half admiring the way the S.H.I.E.L.D uniform clung her her body. Oliviya dropped her gaze to her own uniform and frowned.

"Alright Petit, since we haven' been properly introduced, I'm Remy. You can call me by dat name or by Gambit. Either way, I'll respond." he said, extending a gloved hand, his eyes watching her closely, an amused twinkle never leaving.

"Oliviya Avalon. Previously computer techie, No idea what I'm doing here." she muttered, taking his hand expecting to merely shake it. Instead, Gambit brought the hand to his mouth and left a light kiss on her knuckles. Oliviya blushed.

"Pleasure, Cher. Don' worry 'bout not knowin' anythin'. Ol Gambit's got ya. We can start easy." the cajun said, turning his back on her to move toward the wall of weapons. "Defense will be de easiest ting for you to start with. You're familiar with de weapons and dere upgrades from de computer room, yes?"

"Er...yeah." Oliviya said, watching the man. She was immediately sucked in by his southern charm, and the gentlemanly mannerisms he displayed. A throat clearing broke her out of her stare.

"I believe we should start with hand to hand before we reward her a weapon." Thor spoke, his face in a mask of seriousness.

Oliviya watched, an eyebrow raised as the two men stared at each other, sizing each other up. Remy was only an inch or two shorter than Thor, but Thor outweighed him in sheer mass. Oliviya had seen Thor in practice battles in the war room before. It had been a sight to see. She wondered how Gambit fought and if he could give Thor a a run for his money. She let her eyes wander over the both of them as they seemed to be having a mental pissing contest. Frankly, she didn't care what they started with. She didn't want to be here in the first place, so it wouldn't make a difference to her. She let her aura open the slightest bit to see if she could figure out what the two of them were feeling. It had been a mistake. Rage and regret hit her from one end, and Irritation and amusement hit her from another. The combination of everything was enough to give her a headache.

"The more time you guys spend gazing lovingly at each other, the less time you spend torturing me with battle methods. As if I get yelled at for not respecting you guys, The two of you should have to follow the same rules." Oliviya said, placing her fingers to the bridge of her nose and looking up into the lights to try to clear the lingering emotions from her being.

"You're right, Cher. Though I wouldn't call dat loving. I can see already dat we gon' have some creative differences." Gambit said, glancing at the god one last time before he approached Oliviya. "What would you prefer to start with, cher?"

"Honestly, I'd prefer to start with aspirin and a nap, but as that's not an option, Hand to hand is good. I don't need to go cutting my own arm off before I even know how to defend myself." Oliviya said, a frown creeping onto her face as she met Gambit's eyes. "Believe me, the last think I want to to is agree with that oaf and let him get a big head, but he has a point." she finished, a shrug lifting her shoulders only a fraction.

"Perhaps you're right, darlin'." Gambit said in good nature before turning to the armored man. "Guess you get to start, boss." he said, his head tilted in amusement, a smirk gracing his young looking features.

Thor gave a curt nod before stepping foreward and began explaining to Oliviya the best way to block, and then some stances to have while on the offensive. She listened and re-enacted the poses and postures as best as she could. After a while, Gambit also included himself into the mix, disagreeing with Thor here, or adding a trick there. They were both pretty helpful, and had mutually agreed that Oliviya was ready to move into the attack phase.

After several hours of switching between attempting to attack and block, Oliviya left the war room with at least half of her body bruised. Both men had gone easy on her to extreme measures, but she was still a human being trained by a god and a mutant. Natasha hadn't ever checked back in. Oliviya figured she was pretty busy with Tony. The man had a habit of making a drunken ass of himself, and doing it publically to make matters worse. Natasha probably had her hands full. It was fine with her. Oliviya was just fine with two teachers instead of three. Her body was already screaming at her to lay down, having another combat expert reigning blows on her wouldn't have been better.

Upon entering her room, she found Jackie at the desk on the laptop, typing away furiously at some document or other. The girl looked up and grinned widely at her. "Being trained by two gorgeous men? Please give me details." she said, swivelling around in her computer chair, her legs tucked under her slight frame.

"Can I shower first?" Oliviya asked, a slight whine creeping into her voice. She more than anything wanted the hot water to wash over her aching muscles.

"No. You took off on me earlier without telling me about Loki. Thankfully I got those details from Miko. You're not escaping me now." Jackie said, revealing one of her gossip sources, who also happened to be one of her bed buddies.

"There's nothing to tell. I'm being trained for the field. Fury wants to torture me by making be be in close confines with Thor, and Gambit is... I don't know. He's interesting." Oliviya said, plopping down on the bottom bunk and wincing as a sore shock went up through her body.

"Gambit is smoking hot, and fresh out of the mutant rhombus of confusing relationships." Jackie said, a smirk on her lips.

"Have at it." Oliviya muttered, not in the mood for gossip.

"Oh, no. While he's known for being quite...friendly with the ladies, I don't do wounded and brooding. Plus, there are other conquests." Jackie said, the smirk not failing.

"Gambit didn't seem very brooding. If anything he was amused. Constantly. If he was hurt by the relationship clusterfuck, he didn't let on. Thor however..." Oliviya left the end of the statement blank. She didn't want to think too hard about the feelings seeping off Thor. Every time she went to attack him, it was like he had intentionally left his defenses open. Like he felt he deserved it. And his regret was a toxic cloud that almost suffocated Oliviya. She didn't want to feel that. She didn't want to give him any slack. She was still angry.

"Thor is a dumbass and doesn't know what he lost. He's probably regretting it now that you're working closely with another dude." Jackie said, putting in her opinion.

"Doubtful. I don't know. I also don't care. Aside from having to work with him, I'm done with him. And with any other relationship in the future. It hurts too much. I don't get anything out of it." Oliviya replied.

"Why do you think I do the 'no strings attached' thing?" Jackie asked.

"Because you're a raging whore."

"That's not nice." Jackie replied, though the smirk didn't leave her lips. "Though you're only slightly right. I don't like getting involved in the whole feelings thing either. Whore works for me." she said with a shrug. "Go on, take a shower. You look like you're about to keel over." she said, taking pity on her roommates pained expression.

"Finally. Thank you." Oliviya said, before disappearing into the attached bathroom that was big enough only to fit the essentials. She turned on the shower and let the water run hot before she stepped in. She wished she could be as emotionally detached as her friend. It would have made things much easier. Unfortunately, she wasn't built that way, and pain was something she would have to get used to. Thankfully, while it was physically straining, the combat training took up too much concentration to think about any relationship woes. There was always a bright side.


	5. Chapter 5

Training had taken up more time than Oliviya had initially thought it would. If she had expected any sort of break, she was sadly disappointed. She chalked it up to her utter lack of skill in battle. That had to be the reason Fury kept her in the war room all hours of the day. And sometimes, if he deemed it appropriate, the night too. It was infuriating, to say the least. The only positive Oliviya could pick out of this mess was that at the very least, her muscles didn't hurt as badly with the progress. And she was getting better. She had to admit that at least. She spent a lot of time getting to know each of the new recruits in the war room. Familiarizing herself with their style of fighting, whether it be ranged, hand to hand, or magic. Whatever a hero possessed, she learned. And she even took the liberties of letting her aura search out their emotions. While it made her more tired at the end of the day, it familiarized her with who did what, and what their motivations were. It also told her who she could trust at her back on the battlefield. And there were definitely a few she was leery of.

Despite her complete distaste of Thor as a person, she had gotten used to seeing him in the training room every now and then. While he wasn't always there, she had learned to tolerate him when he was. After the first day of training, he hadn't actually showed up for almost a month. Gambit had been quiet about the reasoning behind it, and Oliviya didn't push. Gambit had become one of the regulars in her teaching, as had Natasha. Natasha had seemingly forgiven Oliviya for the Loki incident, and Loki had been well-behaved. As behaved as he could be anyway. If a seemingly well balanced agent tripped onto their face in the hallway, everyone blamed Loki. He, of course insisted that the agent was clearly a drunk.

Oliviya was actually surprised at the amount of people had responded to the most recent call to arms. Many members of the X-men had joined the team, as well as others. The amount of individuals Oliviya had to familiarize herself with was enough to make her head spin. She had the distinct feeling that Rogue didn't like her, as she was a little more rough in training than others. Oliviya fought back with all she had, figuring the dislike was due to Gambit's continuous presence. What had really shocked her though, was the appearance of Sif. If anything had scared the living daylights out of her, it was that woman. However, Sif was apologetic for her prior behavior, and offered to train her in swordsmanship to make up for it.

"I did not mean to attack you on Asgard. Your appearance was unexpected, as is the appearance of all of Thor's pets. He has an affinity for bringing them home." Sif explained, as they were taking a break in between lessons.

"It's okay. I wouldn't have gone with him if I knew he was betrothed. Or if I knew I was being used." Oliviya said, popping open her water bottle and taking a small sip. Sif laughed.

"I don't even think Thor knows he's betrothed half the time. He has a deep love for Earth, and to be honest, I couldn't care less about your planet. It is not my home. Your people are not my own. Until he and I can come to an agreement, he is free to do as he chooses." Sif said. "And I don't think you were being used."

"Of course you don't. The rainbow bridge is part of your home. I'm sure you wanted it repaired as well." Oliviya said with a shrug. She had long since decided to put that part of her life in a compartment. She still couldn't explain what she had done, so she chose not to dwell on it. She didn't have the time anymore.

"I was not referring to the bridge. Thor cared for you. He does not always show it in a way a woman would understand, but I now he did." Sif said, patting Oliviya on the shoulder in an almost awkward manner.

"I don't want to know. I'm finally coming to terms with everything, the knowledge that he actually cared is just going to complicate things." Oliviya replied, standing and shaking out her limbs. "There's enough backwards relationship crap going on around here, I don't need to return to mine."

"I just wanted you to know. He didn't bring you to Asgard only for your talent. He wanted to share his home with you, as you had apparently done with him." Sif continued, apparently hellbent on making Oliviya feel bad. "And what do you mean by backwards relationships?" the shield maiden asked, her eyebrow raised in confusion.

"You're kidding right? You mean you haven't noticed? I mean it's not my business or anything, but when I want to walk into the cafeteria, I don't want my eyes burned by the image of Wanda and Pietro having a strange and very, very awkward moment." Oliviya said, snorting a small laugh and shuddering at the mental image.

"They are siblings." Sif said. It wasn't entirely a question.

"Yeah. And they're a bunch of freaks. I have to make sure I keep my mental sheilds locked in place, or I start feeling what they feel, and it's really just way too creepy for me." Oliviya replied.

"Is that how your talent works?" Sif said, standing and wielding a practice sword. She had been insistent on not marring the actual blades with mere practice.

"I don't know. I pick up on feelings and absorb them. If I'm not careful, they take over. And on top of that, if I feel they are wounded I can use... I don't know... some sort of wierd energy to heal them." Oliviya said, getting into position and taking an offensive swing at Sif, which was easily blocked.

"Perhaps you channel Yggdrasil. All beings are connected to the great tree, some more than others. It may not be the case, but it is a lead." Sif said, parrying Oliviya's blow and striking with one of her own. It made contact with Oliviya's arm.

"Damnit!" Oliviya said, sucking in a breath, but blocking Sif's next blow. "Maybe. I don't know. And I haven't worked up the nerve to ask any of the energy wielders. Wanda still can't look me in the eye, and I don't think Jean would be much help. This isn't psychic." Oliviya said, feeling the start of a bruise.

"Ask Doctor Strange. He may be able to direct you." Sif suggested, about to make what would have been a finishing blow.

"Field agents, immediately make your way to the west wing debrief room. Code red." Fury's voice sounded over the speaker, and Oliviya almost jumped out of her skin. Her eyes landed on the flashing red light mounted on the wall. The lights were present in every one of the rooms on the carrier, but usually they didn't flash. And if they did, it was only red in an emergency. A frown on her lips, Oliviya glanced at the shield maiden, whose eyes were also on the flashing bulb.

"I guess that's me." Oliviya muttered, a frown on her face.

"If it is code red, the heroes are being summoned as well. I believe the enemy has made a move." Sif said, moving toward the door, grabbing her steel sword from the table as she left.

Oliviya followed suit, though she had no weapon to grab. She would be assigned weapons if she was being sent to the field. She hoped she wasn't. She was nowhere near confident enough in her abilities. As she moved toward the west wing, she saw many agents streaming in the same direction, as well as a few heroes. Gambit moved to her side out of the cafe, styrofoam cup in hand.

"Ello, cher. You ready for this?" he asked, his grin everpresent on his face.

"No." Oliviya said, her mouth in a tight line.

"Oh, come on. You'll be alright. You get to pick your team and your weapons. This ain't my first rodeo." Remy said. Oliviya opened her shield a small amount and drew the calm and collected air Remy put on. He stopped and stared at her for a moment. "You just do that, cher?"

"Ah, yeah. Sorry. I'm just lacking confidence, and I needed something to help calm me down. Even if they're not my feelings, they're better than sheer terror." Oliviya said, dropping her eyes to her feet.

"No problem, mon cher. I'm just getting accustomed to the small tickle of power when you open yourself to others." He said, resuming his walk, slinging an arm over her shoulders as they finally made their way to the debriefing room.

Oliviya pursed her lips and moved away from the cajun, taking her place among the other field agents. She turned over what Gambit had said. He could feel her intrusion. She wondered if others could, or if it was only him. If it were others, she would have to be careful. She wasn't a big fan of people knowing she could do what she did. Her thoughts were quickly drowned out by the sound of Fury breaking into an announcement.

"As you all know, we have been following the progress of this ISO-8 substance. And you are aware the scientists have found a way to bond the shards to your uniforms for an array of benefits. What we haven't told you is that the enemy has also gotten their hands on the substance. We have performed some covert raids on enemy warehouses and found that they have implemented the technology in much the same way we have. We are against something very dangerous. We aren't sure exactly what progress they have made, and that's where you come in. We need a few good teams together to capture and retain the A.I.M commanders on the loose. It seems with the appearance of these shards, enemies have taken to working together. Which is bad. We need to get them under control before something worse happens." Fury said. You could almost hear a pin drop in the room if it weren't for the soft whirring noise of the propellers keeping the giant construct in the air. "When you get down there, keep your wits about you. Not only do we have our enemies working together, we have a greater threat. The Chitauri are back. Not in mass force like before. Not yet. They are invading the bodies of others. Some of these A.I.M personnel could very well be alien life forms in disguise, keep that in mind when you chose weapons. Bring them back here alive. We need to question them. Each agent will be accompanied by two heroes. Mingle among yourselves. You have five minues, and then I want you in the hangar."

Oliviya froze. This was her first trip down, facing enemies. Sure, it was a sweep, and other agents were involved, but that didn't put a stopper to her terror. She felt her breath hitching in her chest, and she was certain the room got smaller. It did, didn't it? She placed her hand her her chest, her eyes darting about as the breaths became more labored.

"Calm down, cher. You'll be fine. You got ol'Gambit at your back. I'm not gonna make you do your first raid without a familiar face." the accent laden voice of the cajun came from somewhere at her right. His arm snaked around her shoulders as he pulled her into him, the scent of leather and cigar smoke filled her senses.

She felt herself relax at the familiarity and she was able to lift her gaze to the rest of the room. "Sif. I need Sif." Oliviya managed to get out. While her and Sif hadn't become best friends by any means, she trusted the woman to be understanding. She felt they had bonded, at the very least.

"I am with you, Agent." Sif said, all business.

Once in the hangar, Gambit walked briskly to what Oliviya could only assume was his plane. It was a little rickety, and she hoped to whatever higher power there was that it ran. She eyed it suspiciously as they approached. Gambit seemed amused and only laughed before he disappeared into the craft. Sif was next aboard, though she didn't look all that thrilled about it either.

"Yer weapons are there, Mon Petit. I took de liberty of pickin' dem for ye. We haven't covered everyting, and you're gonna need some heavy artillery if dese guys are as bad as I tink dey are." Gambit said, a jolly tone entering his voice as he flipped switches and prepared for flight. Oliviya could see the hangar opening, revealing open air, and some of the jets had already taken off.

Moving to the pile Gambit indicated, Oliviya armed herself before sitting down and belting herself in to the slightly worn out seat. She took a deep breath as the plane roared to life, and Gambit hummed happily to himself in the pilot's seat. She couldn't help but grin lightly at his joyful demeanor. Clearly he drank too much swamp water as a child. No one in their right mind could be excited about heading into certain death.

"All set for takeoff, G?" a familiar voice said through the small speaker in the front.

"Yes ma'am. Talk to ya on the ground Jackie." Gambit said in response, before letting the plane roll to the opening and fly toward the mission.


	6. Chapter 6

Oliyiva was tempted to stay on the plane when it touched ground and came to a complete halt. Remy was busy shutting everything down, and Sif was standing ready to exit the aircraft. It hadn't been a peaceful ride. The turbulence alone was enough to jostle everyone's brains. Oliviya had been feeling nauseous before the flight. And now...She wasn't sure she'd make it through the raid with her guts intact. She took a deep breath and stood, taking the long black ISO socketed trench coat that Remy was holding out to her. The weapons lay on the seat next to her and she eyed them, recognizing a few of them from training.

"Dat's Baltag's Blaster. I don' know who Baltag is, but dat ting packs a punch. Emit's radiation on de enemy. Only use it if you absolutely have to, Cher. The radiation will kill dem before Director Fury gets a chance to question them. De curved blade is a Vibra Shotel. You'd be best suited to use dat. Make'em bleed. It's a slow death, but should give us enough time to get dem back. Dat fancy doughnut is a magnetic shield generator. Dat'll protect all of us. Worry about yourself, we can worry about us." Remy explained with a quickness that indicated they were in a bit of a rush to find these warehouses.

Oliviya eyed the blaster, looking at the sheer mass of it. She let her fingers run along the handle of it, feeling the cool, insulated metal chill her fingers. She had to trust that the science department rigged the thing smartly enough to make it a decent weapon. She hadn't trained with guns. This was worse. She made sure that the safety was on before she hefted it up over her shoulder, slightly surprised at the minimal weight of the item. She was thankful for that. She reached and slid the shotel into a sheath at her thigh and checked her pockets for all the healing packs. Once satisfied, she gave the cajun and the asgardian a solid nod before she followed them off the plane. She had to appear confident. On the inside, she was beyond terrified.

The walk to the warehouse was short. Short enough for her to wonder how the inhabitants weren't already outside waiting for them. It wasn't as if Remy's plane was exactly silent. Her eyes darted back and forth, eying every nook and cranny suspiciously. She didn't trust these A.I.M. agents. They were power hungry and dangerous. Fury was right to want to subdue them. She just wished she was safe on the carrier at a computer. That was her forte. Battle wasn't. A movement to her left startled her out of her thoughts, and she quickly drew the sharp curved blade from it's sheath, holding it ready, which was quite the feat with the blaster slung over her shoulder in the other hand. She'd have to set one or the other down to do any real damage.

Remy was on it before she had a second thought. A card was in his hand one second, and shooting at the man in the shadows the next. And explosion rocked the ground, and Oliviya clenched her teeth at the jaw rattling noise. She hadn't seen Remy in action, but with his particular ability, she was beyond glad he had chosen to tie himself to her team this time. She took a small comfort in that. The rest of the people may be slow to trust him, but Oliviya couldn't help but appreciate him. She had to.

Picking their way through the wreckage that the card had done, Oliviya almost lost the contents of her stomach as she glanced down to make sure she didn't trip. An arm, still attached to a shoulderblade, encased in what she could only assume was the yellow biohazard suit of an A.I.M. soldier lay there, the bone exposed, covered in blood. She let out a small gasping exhale before her eyes snapped up and she moved foreward. She couldn't dwell on it. If she did, she would never get through the raid. She could almost feel Remy's eyes on her.

"You're doin' good, Cher. Just keep movin'. We got ta find da rest of dese guys." he said, ruffling her hair before moving ahead of her.

"Right. The rest of them. How many do you think there are?" she asked, cautiously, lowering her voice.

"Enough to be a threat." Sif answered for Remy. Oliviya took another deep breath, smelling the burned wood and flesh, and wishing she hadn't.

The doorway was just ahead, and Remy ducked behind a wooden crate before dragging both women down and speaking in hushed tones. "The explosion will have notified them." he whispered. He had pulled out a few more cards, charging them in preparation. Oliviya wondered how long they would have before the cards exploded. "Listen. Agent, put the shield on us now. It won't work if we wander to far away from each other. So stay close. Also, if you get hit more than twice, it will fade. Let's go."

Oliviya quickly pulled the sphere out and activated it. She could feel a pressure surround her, pressing on her body. It wasn't malicious, but it was there. She gave a quick nod to her companions before they slipped into the warehouse. She wasn't expecting what she saw.

There was almost an entire lab set up inside this were soft bubblings coming from tables full of vials. Some of the stuff looked pretty dangerous. She had heard of some of the scientists on the carrier developing weapons that poisoned an enemy, and it looked like A.I.M. was way ahead of them. That was bad. Oliviya didn't have time to look any further before she heard shouts and bullets. She turned in time to duck out of the way of a soldier with a dangerous looking pack on his back, attatched to a hose that he was pointing at them. A toxic green substance shot out of the nozzle in their direction. The scent of it was enough to make her stagger back and support her weight on the wall next to her. Remy took two seconds to glance before he and Sif threw themselves into the fight.

Oliviya mentally scolded herself for getting hit so early in battle. She hadn't even been able to get one hit in. Her vision was swimming, but she pushed away from the wall anyway. Whatever they hit her with, it had been noxious. She hoped that Remy and Sif would fare better than her. She could see a man approaching her through her blurred vision. The yellow coat was enough to indicate he was an enemy. She dropped the blaster gently before steadying herself, the shotel in front of her. This man had a gun, and she surely wouldn't be able to dodge a bullet. But if she was going to die, she was going to take one of them with her. Or at least injure them enough so Sif and Gambit could get him back to the carrier for questioning. She wasn't about to let herself be useless, even if she was poisoned.

She ducked, then dodged to the right before lodging the shotel into the man's left thigh. She heard him bellow in pain, while she pulled throwing knives out of one of her many pockets and shot them toward his wrists. Her vision was getting much worse, and she wasn't even certain she would be able to hit anything, let alone her target, but the clatter of the gun on the floor was enough of an indicator that she made an incredibly lucky shot. She knew it wouldn't happen again, but this one was detained. She teetered on her heels before needing to move toward the wall again. Explosions were enough of an indicator that Gambit was doing some significant damage. Everything was too much of a blur for Oliviya to focus on.

She felt her insides wrench as she emptied the scant contents of her stomach onto the dusty pavement, feeling only worse after having puked. She could feel her body weakening at a rapid rate, and hoped at the very least, the A.I.M. soldier she maimed stayed alive long enough to be drilled for information, even if she never got to know what they were doing. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. She let out a bitter laugh. So much for Fury seeing something in her. First battle and she was wiped out. All of the hours spent with the heroes, and this was where she would end up. Poisoned and dead on the ground of an enemy warehouse. What a waste of time. Finding she could no longer hold her body up, she gingerly lay down as the edges of her vision blackened.

The shuffling of footsteps close to her face indicated that someone was moving closer to her. Who it was, she couldn't identify, but she could feel arms around her, lifting her into the air. "Stay with us, cher. You did good. We got one of de bastards in custody. Stay awake till we get back to de helicarrier. We got some nano-healin' tings." the cajun accented voice of Remy came from the figure holding her.

"Did we win?"

"We cleared dis warehouse and shut dem down. Dey have more, but dis one is down for de count." he said.

Oliviya couldn't speak much more, but she reached out with her aura to draw the calm and collected nature off Remy only to find a deep rooted fear and intense sadness. She felt tears pool at the bottom of her eyes, releasing a sadness that wasn't her own. "Stop. Don't be sad." she said shakily.

"Quit readin' me, cher. I ain't got nothin' positive to give ye." he said. She could feel the elevation and then being placed in what she could only assume was the seat on his plane before she was belted in, and a presence sat next to her. "Keep her awake. We got to get her back to de infirmary. I ain't lettin her go on her first raid."

"She will live. Fly the plane." Sif's voice came from the person propping her up. "You did well, agent. It was too soon for you to descend into battle, but you fought valiantly. We have your victim in custody. He was the only one alive enough to take."

***

Remy shut the plane down when they were safely on the helicarrier. He shot to the back where he found Sif unbuckling the almost unconcious body of Oliviya. Frowning, he quickly stepped foreward and picked her up, cradling her to his chest. She wasn't strong enough to hold on to him, and he had to be careful. "Alert a medic. We ain't gon' make it to the infirmary with her like dis." he said urgently to the Asgardian. The woman immediately shot off.

"I see Fury was wrong in sending the human down to dangerous situations. Poor child. She was so fiesty. Did she faint at the sight of a fight?" a slick voice game from Gambit's left. He looked up to face the God of Mischief.

"If you don' wan' feel my wrath, snake, get out of my way. I ain' gon' let her die." Gambit snapped. He was in no mood for the taunting of the Frost Giant.

The mans eyes widened as he saw the state Oliviya was in. Her skin was turning a sick shade of gray-green and her eyes were beginning to roll back into her head. Loki frowned and moved foreward. " She will not make it if you continue to crush her in that manner. Let her breathe. She looks as if she is getting precious little oxygen as it is." the god snapped.

Remy narrowed his red eyes at the god, unsure of whether her should believe him, or if this was merely another lie. He had to believe the best of him. Oliviya had trusted him, and now Remy had no choice. He lowered himself to the ground and loosened his grip on the girl. He kept her in his lap, but began to loosen the trenchcoat the was around her body. His fingers brushed across her skin and he found she was absolutely burning up. Whatever the soldiers had been cooking in that warehouse was much stronger than any biofeedback weapon Remy had come into contact with while working for Fury. Whatever they had been making was one of the quickest killers her had seen.

"Move away from her. I need space."

Remy glanced up to see the face of Doctor Stephen Strange. His gray-blue eyes glittered with a selfless emotion that Remy hadn't ever associated the man with. He carefully placed Oliviya on the cold stone floor of the hangar and let Dr. Strange at her. Magic crackled around the older man's hands and he shot some enchantment into her that seemed to have restored her enough to open her eyes.

"Come, child. I need you to walk with me. We'll get you to the infirmary." Strange said, kneeling to place a hand behind her back and help her up.

"But. I.. I should be dead." she said. Remy frowned and stepped foreward.

"Ye aren' gon' die, Cher. Jus' go with the Doc. He's gon' fix ye up." Remy said, assuring her, as much as himself that she would in fact be alright. He had to have faith in the good doctor.

He watched them leave, standing next to Loki whose eyes followed them as well. He though he could see a small sadness deep in those green eyes, but just as quickly, the flicker was gone. Remy had to admit to himself that he'd be horribly upset if Oliviya died. He had grown fond of her during their days of training. She was a vibrant girl. Sure, she had a mouth like a sailor on her, and had a witty comeback to almost everything he said, but she was extraordinarily caring, and an eager learner. Despite not wanting the position she was in. Even if she was just another agent to the rest of the carrier, she had become a friend to Remy. She didn't grill him about the sordid details of his love life. She didn't flirt with him like most of the women. She listened to him, she learned from him. She understood him. Even if she didn't understand herself, her powers, or her among S.H.I.E.L.D, she understood him. He could only hope that they hadn't returned too late.


	7. Chapter 7

Remy found himself considerably more jumpy than usual. It had been a week exactly since Olivya had disappeared to the "infirmary" with the Doctor. She hadn't emerged, and no word had been given about her state. Remy had continued to spend his free time in the training room, despite the fact that he hadn't needed to. He was freed of his training duties. But it kept him busy, and it kept his abundant energy under control. He found that he was slightly agitated without a friend to spend the time with. Many of the agents that Oliviya had worked with in the computer wing had stopped by, possibly looking for any sign of her well being. Jackie had been among them. She was unlike the rest of the agents, however, in that she actually stopped to chat instead of walking by, staring, or whispering in low tones. Oh, Gambit heard their words, despite their habit of whispering. Some said he had carelessly left Oliviya unattended on the field.

Maybe he had. But they had also silently blamed Fury. And Gambit figured if anyone was at fault, it was indeed Nick Fury. Then again, Oliviya was much stronger than many gave her credit for. Despite being forced into the field agent position, she had been eager to learn how to defend herself. Even if it was merely for self preservation purposes, it was more than Gambit could say for many of the other agents. She had been smart about what she learned. She wasn't cocky about it. She knew that the weapons were dangerous, and needed to be handled with care. She was a smart girl, and she didn't deserve the cards she had been dealt.

But if Remy knew anything about cards, it was that everything could be cheated. Including death.

Making his way to the open air of the deck of the helicarrier, he pulled his favored lighter out of an inside pocket of his long coat, along with a rather pricey cigar. Placing the vice between his lips and lighting it, he took several puffs, exhaling immediately, savoring the harsh flavor on his tongue. Losing himself in his thoughts as he gazed with his uniquely colored eyes out across the sky, he almost jumped as he heard a feminine voice beside him.

"Still no word?"

Remy tilted his head enough to glance out the corner of his eyes at the petite woman. Jackie again. "Non, nothing yet." he responded, a shrug accenting his words.

"Damn. I was really hoping at least someone would have said something." Jackie said, stuffing her hands in the pockets of the S.H.E.I.L.D issued trenchcoat that adorned her small frame. "I'm really worried about her. People were saying she was in really rough shape when she got back to the carrier."

Remy made an irritated noise. "People needa quit gossipin'. Dey don' know nothin' bout what happened." he responded, being a little more harsh than he meant. "Je suis désolé. I didn' mean ta snap at you, ma Cher." he said, an apologetic expression touching his face briefly, before he turned his face back to the view of the clouds floating idly by. "I feel like it's my fault, ya know?" he asked, opening up only slightly to Oliviya's friend.

"I get it. I don't blame you. If anyone else does, they're idiots. You did what you could to get her back. Anything else was beyond your control. She's only human, dude. She just got the shit end of the stick on the field. Could have happened to anyone." Jackie said, a small sigh escaping her lips. "I just wish it _had _been someone else. It's a horrible thing to say, but I guess I'm a horrible person." she added.

"Non, ye'r not a bad person. I wish de same ting. I would have taken dat hit for her if I could have." Remy responded. He found that he rather liked Jackie's company. Not quite as much as Oliviya's, but he could see why the girls were friends. Oh sure, Jackie was a different breed, but Oliviya had the uncanny ability to attract the different ones to her. To cultivate an understanding of them. To heal them mentally by just being there. By making the attempt to understand them and be there for them. Whether they realized it or not. Everyone had some level of damage, and Oliviya seemed to have to ability to find that and begin the healing process without even intending to. She had certainly done quite the number on Remy himself in the short period of time they had known each other.

"Well. I have to get back to work. Let me know if anything changes. It's driving me crazy. Fury won't let any information out, and god knows i've tried to pry it out of him." Jackie said, turning on her heel and heading back into the carrier.

"Will do." Remy called after her, placing the cigar back between his lips and taking a puff. He certainly hoped he got word sooner rather than later. A week was far too long. Then again, most agents that got hit with the biofeedback of less powerful variety failed to beat it. Remy closed his eyes, shaking the horrible thoughts from his mind. He had to believe she would make it. He wasn't entirely sure why he had grown so attatched to this agent, out of all of them, but he had. He had to hold on to positive thoughts, or he'd lose his mind, and that wouldn't end well. Not at all.

Letting his long legs carry him back to the solace of the training room, Remy found he was not as alone has he had desired to be. The thunder god himself had made his was to the training room as well. A frown touched Remy's lips. Oliviya had loved this man. And how could she not. Remy was not attracted to men, but even he could admit when a male was desirable. And Thor was definitely one to catch a woman's attention. He gave a curt nod to the man before shedding his coat and placing it on the table. He stretched his back out, letting the sound of cracks and pops fill his ears, until he was satisfied that he was loose enough to move freely.

"Have you heard word of Liv's health?" the demi-god asked, deep voice echoing in the spacious training area.

"Why everyone got ta tink I have all de answers. Non. Ole Gambit don' know any more dan you do." he said, having to contain a roll of his eyes.

Thor seemed to deflate a little. Clearly the man had loved Oliviya back. It raked on Remy's nerves to hear "Liv" from another man's lips. In such an affectionate manner. It grinded his gears. He grabbed his Bo off the wall of weapons, where Fury insisted he keep it when there was no threat. With the bo in hand, he strode to the computer system that Tony Stark had installed. It was very similar to the software that Professor Xavier had in the mansion's war room. It could simulate enemy attacks of every caliber, and was a very useful tool in all training levels. Remy hadn't gotten to show Oliviya the program yet. She was still learning weapons. Maybe if he had put her in the software's battle simulator, she would have had a better chance. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the computer system, letting his eyes scan all of the options. Clicking on "custom" he began entering in a simulation that would be up to par with his skills.

"I was merely asking because she was with you and the Lady Sif on the mission. She seemed to take a liking to you. I worry for her." Thor continued to speak after a small pause.

"Den I'm sure you've heard de details. I can't tell ye anymore. She went with Doctor Strange. I haven' seen her since." Remy responded noncommittally as he entered more stats into the simulator program.

"I have heard she was hit with poison." Thor pushed.

"Dat's what happened den. I wasn' by her side at de time. Nor was Sif. We were busy clearin' de warehouse of enemies." Remy responded, his red eyes meeting Thor's blue ones.

"How could you have left her alone? She is human and unskilled." Thor asked accusingly.

Remy stiffened. "You tink I wanted to leave her side? I was on a mission, as were you. I ain't able ta hold her hand through everyting, and neither are you. She ain't as weak as ye like ta tink. If ye'd be able ta get yer head out of yer royal ass long enough to actually look at her, ye'd know dat." he snapped, feeling his temper bubbling threateningly under the surface.

"You are of the impression that I have not looked at her? That I have not taken her and her abilities into consideration? I know more than you what she is capable of." Thor responded, becoming equally as angry.

"Ye know and ye took advantage of it. Like ye took advantage of her feelin's. Ye have no right to ask how she is." Remy growled in response.

"And I regret that more than anything. I loved her. I still love her. But she does not trust me." Thor said, having the good sense to drop Remy's gaze.

"An she shouldn'. Ye took advantage of her. Don' tell yer sob story ta me an expect me ta feel bad. Ye shouldn' have done what ye did. Now are ye in here ta train, or are ye just here ta bug me, cause yer doin' a real good job at dat." Remy said, staying hardened to Thor's feelings. He couldn't care. Thor had held Oliviya's heart in his hands. She had trusted him, and he had ruined that for himself Remy wasn't about to coddle the god. Not when Remy himself wanted what Thor had previously held. Even if he didn't quite want to admit that to himself yet. His defensive nature spoke volumes about his feelings.

"I will train." Thor said, straightening his back and standing at full height.

"Splendide." Remy replied, feeling venom tainting the edges of his words. Making a few more adjustments to the simulator, he pressed the "enter simulator" button and waited for the room to go black before machines and computer generated enemies filled the room. He gave a solid nod to Thor before throwing himself into the fray. While he wasn't Thor's biggest fan currently, the other man was a formidable warrior, and Remy trusted him at his back.


	8. Chapter 8

What was hopefully the ceiling came slowly into focus. A bright white blurry light was the first thing to become apparent, before a low buzzing whir hit her ears. She felt an awful lurching feeling in her stomach, which was only made worse as she sat bolt upright in the semi-erected soft chair she was placed in. The nausea hit in a violent wave as she gasped and shut her eyes immediately. She would have covered her mouth to prevent the distinct feeling she was about to lose her lunch. If she could even remember the last time she had lunch.

Dropping her head back and collapsing backward onto the chair, thankful that it was still there to catch her exhaustion-logged body. Sighing heavily, she took a moment to re-familiarize with the darkness behind her eyelids. It was a small comfort to battle with the thrashing in her stomach. She took a couple deep breaths before letting her dark eyes flutter open again. She stayed in her half-sitting position this time, not prepared for the sick lurching that accompanied sitting up fully.

"You must be easy child." a voice from her left...or what she thought was her left had spoken. Everything was severely flipped for her at this point, and she only wished she had a solid grasp on where she was. "You took a hard hit of some pretty serious poison. Not even the infirmary was familiar with the components. Luckily I was able to counteract the sickness with my own abilities, and the help of a few others." the voice continued.

A face swam into focus over her. A dark face with icy blue eyes piercing into her very soul. Though the face that held the eyes was friendly, and held a concerned expression. Dark, short cropped hair with a light peppering of grey at the temples floated into focus the longer Oliviya stared. It was the only solid thing to break up the constant whiteness of the room. She didn't recognize the face. Not entirely. It had familiar features, though it was still foreign. Though the that could have been credited to the blur that was covering the majority of her vision.

Oliviya's hands wandered away from her sides, searching for another solid surface, anything to grasp to make her feel like she was actually alive, because the white blurring light and swimming face wasn't doing it for her. Her hands found what she assumed was the arm of the chair she was perched in. It didn't feel warm or human, so it had to be the chair arm. Taking a deep breath, attempting to settle the thrashing in her stomach, she blinked, willing the room to focus more. "Poison?" she managed to stammer out.

"Yes. Poison. Biofeedback from the A.I.M. company. They're apparently in cahoots with several other of our enemies. HYDRA. Dormammu. Even the Chitauri are returning." the man said, moving away from the chair long enough to grab a small plastic cup of water and bring it back. "Take a drink, child. I must make sure you are able to keep liquids down at the very least. Otherwise, you'll have to stay here a bit longer."

Oliviya watched him, her brows furrowed. "I knew about the chitauri. And kind of about the rest, but not in detail. Also, where are we...exactly?" she asked, realizing her throat _was _rather dry. She reached an arm out for the offered cup and took it, sipping hesitantly on the clear, cool liquid. She hoped she could keep it down. She wasn't entirely sure exactly how long she had been here, but she'd already had enough. It felt too much like a hospital ward, and she hated hospitals.

"Oh, Director Fury allows me to keep this room on the Helicarrier for...special patients. As a last resort. There are a few on this plane who can help with even the most vicious of wounds. But it requires solace. The infirmary is far too convoluted with people coming in and out, visiting their friends or doing other things. I need my space to work. You were a special case." he responded, a touch of affection creeping into his voice. "Any abnormal nausea? A small bit is fairly normal, I should think. The poison was quite the concoction." he continued, staring expectantly at her.

The intense blue gaze made her slightly uncomfortable, she realized. Like she knew it from somewhere. She had never met the man in her life, however, and she would have certainly remembered such an interesting character. If the always gloved hands weren't enough of a memorable factor, his demeanor was. Not to mention he was renowned in the S.H.I.E.L.D barracks for being an excellent surgeon. And in the magick community for being an excellent sorcerer. But Oliviya had never personally met Doctor Stephen Strange before. Well, never before he whisked her away to this secluded special-victim hospital ward on a top secret, and invisible, military base, which specialized in threats to earth. "Oh. No. Nothing abnormal." she said, dropping her dark gaze to the remainder of the water in the cup.

"Wonderful. Then you, my dear, are quite ready to get out of here." Dr. Strange said, backing up enough to give her space to stand, though hovering close enough to catch her, should her balance fail.

Oliviya stayed seated, raising her eyes back to his face, confusion painted on her features. "Wait. That's it? There's no follow up care, no like... medicines, explanations, or _anything?!" _She asked, staring.

Strange got an odd look on his face before smiling only slightly. "What sort of follow up would you like, child? I'm afraid I cannot authorize time off. There is no rest for S.H.I.E.L.D agents or their allies. You've been out of work for a week, which I'm sure is more than enough time. I don't need the good director shutting down my operation because I showed favoritism to one Agent." he finished, a twinkle apparent in his eye.

"Okay." Oliviya said slowly, standing, skirting around him. She made it all the way to the door, her hand hovering over the handle, before she turned around to stare at him again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. I will do my best to answer." Strange replied, his hands clasped behind his back.

"About the..uh. Well I went to Asgard. And uh... I guess I..fixed the rainbow bridge. Is there anything in your magick community that would explain that?" She asked, trying to find the words to explain the situation without looking like a fool in front of one of the greatest sorcerer's alive, and one of the most important allies the Avengers had.

"Only your pedigree will explain that. You are a healer. Among other things. Now off you go, child. You have quite the collection of people who are concerned about your well being. Go. We shall speak again, I'm sure." He said, nodding toward the door and giving her a last smile.

"Pedigree? What? Am I a dog now?" she asked incredulously, completely whirled to face him.

"What you are is fiery. And worrying your fellow agents. Even that silvertongue has been lurking. You keep interesting company child. Even for a S.H.I.E.L.D Agent." he replied.

"I don't have much of a choice." She muttered in reply. "You're infuriatingly cryptic, you know that right?" She said, the door finally open, her body hovering in the doorway.

"Perhaps. And perhaps you merely must learn to read between the lines." he retorted, eyes twinkling a bright blue. He was deeply amused.

"Are you kidding me? Read between the lines? What interstellar drugs are you on?" Oliviya replied, staring at him, becoming frustrated with his monk-like cryptic messages.

This brought a chuckle out of Strange, and he moved toward the girl, grabbing the edge of the door and gently ushering Oliviya out. "We will speak again child, when you understand what I have said. And only then. And on that day, you will learn why you were able to accomplish what you did. Not a second sooner. One who seeks the truth must first find it within themselves. Now go. You have stayed long enough. You seem to be feeling much better, so it's back to work for you. Return if you have any suspicious symptoms, though I highly doubt that will be the case. Good evening Child." he said, ushering her further out the door.

Oliviya narrowed her eyes at him as he spoke, listening to more infuriating words. By the time she realized he had noticed she felt better, the fact had become apparent to her as well. She gasped lightly and took a moment to take stock of any sick feelings she had earlier. They weren't there. Pursing her lips, she looked to Dr. Strange one last time. "I guess you're right. Thank you. For saving me."

"Oh, I didn't save you. That would be your Cajun friend. And the Asgardian woman. They brought you here. I merely did what I do best." he replied.

"Okay, well thanks for that, then." She responded.

"No gratitude is necessary. I could hardly let you die. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for." He replied. "Now off with you. I have other patients to visit." he said, giving her one last smile, and shutting the door behind him.

Oliviya stood in the hallway for a moment, pondering everything that had just happened in the space of time since she woke up. A week? She had been there for a week? Shaking her head, she put two fingers to the bridge of her nose. Fury was going to kill her. And Remy. She had been skipping out on her training. Not that she had meant to, but still. Running her fingers through her long dark hair, realizing it was unbraided and hanging loose down her back she frowned. It had just now dawned on her that her clothing was not the S.H.I.E.L.D issued uniform. She wore a simple pair of loose fitting black yoga pants and a deep red tank top. She sincerely hoped it was not Strange who had been the one to change her clothes. He seemed like a decent enough dude, but that would be just...uncomfortable.

She walked, almost aimlessly through the hallways, realizing that literally nothing had changed. She was hidden away fighting for her life, and everything else on the helicarrier moved on the same. As if she hadn't mattered. It was almost a saddening thought. She hadn't mattered. But then again, she was but one agent fighting for the safety of the earth. Anonymously. Sure, she was lucky enough to have developed first name basis relationships with the heroes that the rest of the world didn't even get to know about, but sometimes, she'd kill to go back to her normal life.

She found herself in front of the training room, letting herself in. She was greeted by the image of Thor and Remy in the midst of a rather intense battle with robots and mirages. She found she couldn't quit staring. Nor could she pick her jaw up off the floor. Both men had shed shirts. And she could understand why. It was roasting in here. She figured it was probably the whir of machines overheating the room. She hand't seen this training method, and she wasn't sure where to turn her attention first. She didn't have a chance to make a decision before she heard a yelp of pain, and saw Remy on the floor. She immediately sprinted into the fray, not thinking about the fact that she could probably be seriously hurt, again.

"Liv, don't." she heard Thor say, but she had already entered the danger zone, and there wasn't much of an option of turning back.


	9. Chapter 9

Oliviya gasped a little as her eyes shot to a very distraught Thor. She was torn between listening to his advice, and returning to Remy. She found herself glancing between the two of them, and quickly ducking as a rather large robot swung a giant metal arm at her. She was surprised her reflexes were that up to par after her week long slumber. While on the ground, she had to push herself onto her back and scoot backwards to get her back against the wall. The robot was zoning in on the only visible target on the training floor, and that just happened to be her. Eyes widening, she flattened herself to the slightly padded wall, that currently held the image of a dark city street, her back pressed against a brick building. When her bare shoulders touched it, the computer generated image shorted out, causing a twitch in the robot's movements. She pushed harder against the wall, wishing only for a moment that she had the powers of Kitty. Then she could phase right back to the doorway and to safety, shorting the robot out on the way.

But that was not in her cards. Whatever her deal was, it was still unknown to her. All she knew was it was a healing based ability, and of no help to her here.

"De end button." Remy called to Thor, pushing himself up with a martial artist's swift movement, grabbing his Bo in one quick swipe and knocking the robot rather hard. A loud clang noise rang throughout the room as everything powered down. "Took ya long enough." Remy called back to Thor.

"I do not have the skill with these machines." Thor replied indignantly, moving foreward to join Remy on the now empty floor.

"Dat's obvious." Remy said, glancing at the other man. The battle training had eased some of his ill will and tension toward the larger male. As had the appearance of Oliviya. "And you." he said, turning his head to the girl. Moving forward, a grin spreading across his face as his arms opened. He quickly closed the distance and wrapped her in a rather rib crushing hug. "I wasn' sure if i'd ever see ya again, Cher." he said, griping her tightly and speaking into her mass of loose hair.

"One, You're way sweaty, and Two, I guess I made it. Sorry for missing like a week of training." Oliviya said, unable to hide the smile that had touched her lips.

"Ah, ya can deal wit a sweaty hug, Mon Cher. Considerin' yer da one dat distracted me enough to get hit." He said, loosening his grip only long enough to meet her mahogany-brown eyes with his own uncanny red ones. "As for da trainin', it was hardly ta be helped."

"Oh right. You alright?" she asked, trying to wiggle her way away from him to get a good look. She could see Thor over Remy's shoulder, looking like he wanted to embrace her as well. But Remy was her first concern. And she wasn't so sure she was ready to be in Thor's arms again. Not yet.

"A little tap from a robot ain' gon' get ole' Remy down. It's jus' a bruise, Cher." he said with his signature charming grin. He ran his hands lightly down her bare arms before dropping them to his sides, and bending to retrieve his weapon again. "However, I expect ya ta be back here tomorrow for more trainin'. Unfortunately, de threat ain't done yet. We still need ya on da field." he replied, leaning on the bo.

"I figured as much. What was all this... imagery?" she asked, waving a hand to the training room.

"Stark technologies. It's de same stuff de mutants use at de mansion for trainin'. It ain't always that hard. It's customizable. I'll be usin' dat wit ya. Probably startin' tomorrow. It'll prepare ya more." he answered. He turned to the side, glancing at the Asgardian warrior, who was still staring, quietly. "I believe ye've another person to greet, Cher." he said, an eyebrow raised, watching her closely. He wasn't sure he wanted to see her embrace Thor. Shaking his head, he had to get that jealous out of his mind. He hadn't any intentions of getting himself into any other relationship with a co-worker. Expecially not one who had some sort of ongoing relationship with another teammate. Anne Marie's dallying with Scott had been enough to make him swear off monogomous, intimate relationships permanantly. He could find release in willing women without the strings if he needed to. The french quarter was not short on pleasurable company. That was for certain.

Oliviya's eyes flickered to Thor, before she sighed and moved to him, arms weakly out to her sides. When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt the familiar fluttering of feelings in her stomach. The butterflies were still there, much to her dismay. No matter how badly he had hurt her, she still had the remains of affectionate feelings toward the man. And the way he hugged her was enough to let her know that he felt the same. Swallowing the lump in her throat, and feeling Remy's eyes on her back, she quickly let go of Thor.

"I am glad you are okay." Thor said, sincerely, his bright blue eyes boring into her. He lifted a hand and lightly touched her cheek, as if making sure she was in fact real and not just a computer generated image.

"Yeah, well. I guess I am too." She replied, pursing her lips and backing up a step. She was beginning to feel panicky. She wasn't prepared for the tender look in Thor's eyes. It had been easier to hate him. To be pissed off at him for using her. But he had actually cared. And that put a major awkward twist on her developing feelings for Remy LeBeau.

"Enough of dis romantic reunion. You gon' make ole'Remy sick. De Director probably gon' wanna talk to ya, Cher." Remy said, his voice having more of a sharp edge than he intended. He had meant to say those things in good humor, but they hadn't come out that way.

Oliviya turned back to him, her eyebrow raised, a challenging expression stamped on her face. "You jealous, Cajun?" she prodded, a small smirk gracing her lips.

"Cher, Remy don' get jealous. If he want a girl, he get de girl." Remy replied cooly.

"Huh. Good to know." Oliviya replied, not entirely sure how to respond to that. He had essentially just blatantly said he didn't want her. That was enough to shut her up and snap out of her reunion. She gave a last nod to the men and moved toward the door. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow then." she said shortly, before leaving the room, managing to shut the door quietly. She wasn't sure how she had managed that one. Remy's words cut deeper than she had thought they would. Despite her lingering feelings for Thor, Remy had been really growing on her. He wasn't always pining after her. Staring longingly like a wounded puppy. Not that Thor could ever behave like a wounded animal. But sometimes she caught the way he looked at her, and it was enough of an irritation to make her want to punch him. Because he had been the one to hurt her.

She made her way through the halls, being stopped by many Agents and other supes on the ship on her way. All of them seemed relieved to see her. It was actually nice to see that her presence lightened the mood on the ship instantly. It made her feel much better about being back out to work. And also made the awkward training room situation melt away. She stopped in her room to grab a quick shower and pull on her uniform, rebraiding her hair and getting it under control. She applied a light layer of eyeliner and shadow, ran a stick of chapstick over her lips for a bit of gloss, and a small amount of blush for a dewey natural look. She immediately felt loads better, and almost human again, before she slipped back out of the room to hunt for Fury. She had been mildly thankful that Jackie hadn't been in the room, because she would have been drilled for hours on everything that had happened. It would have been a short conversation, but it would have happened nonetheless.

She made it to Fury's office and knocked lightly on the steel door. She heard a click, indicating that it had opened to let her in. She moved on booted feet to the center of the room, feeling strange being stared at by not only Nick Fury, but Natasha and Tony as well.

"She lives! I went out of commission for a week once." Tony said, standing to pull her into a hug.

"Were you drunk?" Oliviya asked into his chest, returning the embrace.

"Shut it, kid. I'm glad you're alright. You're not as much of a stick in the mud as the rest of these crazy bastards." Tony said, ruffling the hair that she had just spent time fixing.

"Is that your way of saying you like me, Mr. Stark?" Oliviya asked, a grin on her face, as she straightened the flyaway hairs.

"I suppose it is." Tony replied, a crooked grin on his face.

"Well thanks. You're not as lame as some of these people either." Oliviya shot back.

"Any time you two are done being buddy buddy would be wonderful." Fury said from his desk. Oliviya turned her head to glance at him. His arms were crossed over his chest, though he wore a smile as well.

"Sorry boss. Just nice to see someone survive that shit." Tony replied.

"Indeed. Speaking of which, you were the only one who managed to bring a hostage back. For your first time in the field, you did quite well." Fury said.

"I wasn't aware almost dying counted as a job well done." Oliviya responded.

"You know what I meant. We learned much from the A.I.M goon that we didn't know before." Fury continued.

"I didn't even have to torture him for information." Natasha said.

"I wasn't sure he'd make it. I hit him with that fancy radiation gun." Oliviya replied.

"Strange halted the radiation long enough to get what we needed." Fury said.

"But the dude's dead?" Oliviya asked.

"Yes." Fury replied.

Oliviya frowned, realizing that she had killed him. She was the one that shot him with the weapon. And ergo was the one who was responsible for his death. She wasn't sure that she liked the feeling that it created in her soul. The first death dealt out at her hand. And with this job, and the threat, it probably would not be the last. Which made her even more uncomfortable. She pursed her lips and glance back up at Fury, who was watching her intently.

"If the death is what you are concerned with, understand that it was for the good of this planet and it's inhabitants. It will not be the only one you deal." he said.

"I figured that. It's just...uncomfortable." Oliviya responded.

"And it may always be so. Some people become accustomed to eliminating enemies. Some do not." Fury responded.

"They're still people." Oliviya said.

"Yes. But they are people who are out to destroy others for their own personal gain. Sacrifice one to save the majority."

"I'm not sure I like that." Oliviya said, frowning.

"I'm not sure you have much of a choice. My decision to have you in the field still stands. I trust Mr. LeBeau will begin training you with better regimins. You're familiar with most all the weapons, it's time you learn to use them on enemies." Fury responded.

Sighing, Oliviya stuffed her hands in her pockets, dropping her gaze to the floor. Remy. She still had to see him on daily basis. And train with him. Which mean close contact. She shrugged a shoulder before looking up. "Yeah. He mentioned the program." she said evenly. She wasn't about to let on that she had feelings for Remy. Thor had been enough of a clusterfuck, she wasn't going to let this happen.

"Good. You'll need to find Agent Hill for your new uniform. We've upgraded the ISO's considerably during your healing process, and have found much stronger ones. You'll be needing a more suitible and protected uniform. You'll also need to acquaint yourself with the other Mutants on the ship. As well as other allies of ours. You won't always be with the same people on the field, it's best you familiarize yourself with everyone so you know the battle methods. As well as when they need healing." Fury said. "You are already familiar with our more common allies, but there are some you will need to work with. I understand that you're aware of some of the...relationships floating around here, and I must ask you to stay out of it."

"Right, because I was totally going to interfere with incestuous, orgies, pining, teenager bullshit." Oliviya said, rolling her eyes toward the cieling.

Fury pursed his lips and stared hard at her. Tony snickered, and Natasha's eyes widened. "You are not supposed to know about many of those things." Fury said tightly.

"I wish I didn't. For whatever reason, I have awful timing. It's not my fault your allies feel the need to use the agent cafeteria as a tryst spot at three A.M. And It's not my fault I don't sleep much, and need to feed myself. _Nor_ is it my fault that I can pick up on emotions and intent like a sponge picks up water." Oliviya responded. She knew she probably shouldn't be mouthing off to Nick Fury, but she had just survived wicked poison, and was feeling that she had earned the right to be counted among the respectable. Not to mention there were some people on this carrier that knew exactly what she was, and Fury was more than likely one of them. She would put her entire life savings on it.

Fury sighed. "Indeed. Try to stay out of it. As much as you can. I have enough on my hands with these hormone-crazy men and women on the ship already." he said.

"Believe me, I know. I room with one of the department's biggest whores." Oliviya said, though it was out of affection. She loved Jackie dearly.

"You're such a good friend." Tony said sarcastically from his seat.

"I speak the truth." Oliviya responded defensively.

"I've heard." Tony responded.

"She's a lovely girl. I'd be a whore too if I had those gorgeous looks to flaunt." Oliviya said with a shrug. Tony merely gave her a strange look and rolled his eyes.

"Right. Well. If you'll all excuse me, I've got a lady to wine and dine. If i'm late, she'll have my head." Tony replied, standing and pulling a cell phone out of his pocket. "Jarvis. The suit please. Without Pepper seeing it, if you would."

Oliviya merely stared at the man. Last she had known, he had destroyed all of his precious work. Which in her book, was the most horrible choice ever. She almost cried over that one. She had admired the Iron Man technology greatly. It was a small comfort knowing he had either saved one, or built a new one. She'd kill to see this version of it. She was convinced that it was probably damn awesome. Most of his projects usually were. She stared at Tony as he left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him as he strode toward the staircase that would lead him to the deck of the carrier. Oliviya yearned to follow him to catch a glimpse of the new secret suit Tony had crafted, but she was surely stuck in this office to continue this conversation. She tore her gaze away from the door and set it back on the Director, who was still staring hard at her, not looking impressed by her conversation with Tony.

"You're the most vulgar young lady I've ever seen." Fury said, tapping a stack of paper on his desk to straighten them.

"You obviously haven't been around youth these days. Compared to them, I'm a southern belle." Oliviya retorted.

"The rest of the day is yours to do with as you please. There have been too many people bothering me about your wellbeing. Assure them you're fine today, and it's back to work tomorrow." Fury said, ignoring her retort to his insult. He had heard it, to be sure, though he wasn't about to indulge her in a battle of wits and comebacks. He had better things to do.

Oliviya watched him evenly, a slightly surprised expression on her features. "Seriously? I've been off for like a week. You're really letting me have the rest of the day?"

"There's hardly anything you'll be able to start and finish in this amount of hours. A lot of work to be done, and much of it requires all day to complete. Go spend time with your friends. Tomorrow you'll be back to the grinder. So to speak." he replied, staring evenly at her.

"Alrighty then. I'm off then. See ya, Agent Romanov." Oliviya said. "Director." she added, with a nod.

"Miss Avalon." Fury said to her retreating back.

Oliviya turned to him, a questioning look, her hand hovering above the exit button on the steel wall beside the door.

"I'm glad you made it. That was some pretty rough shit." Fury said, showing about as much affection as he was capable of.

Oliviya grinned at him, knowing that was quite the compliment coming from him. He was a hardass, but he would give praise and credit where it was due. Apparently he thought it was due in this situation. She was glad. It was enough of a compliment that she was glad to be returning to work the following day.

Right now, though, finding Jackie was the task at hand. She was sure her roommate had been practically pulling her hair out in her absence. Or at least she hoped so. For all she knew, Jackie could have been having a hayday, bringing male agents to their room to have some private time. Oliviya frowned at that thought. If that was the case, she really hoped Jackie had enough decency to leave Oliviya's bed out of it. She didn't want to have to burn her own sheets for a situation she hadn't had anything to do with.

Walking out of the door, she made her way to the 'hacker nerd' territory. Or at least that's what the other agents classified the Tech area as. An area that Oliviya knew like the back of her hand after having dwelled there for the better part of two years. It was a place that she often wished she was back in, perched in a comfy chair in front of a high tech, Stark-funded computer, searching the database for every criminal file she was instructed to. It was insane how much of a percentage of the human population was involved with some sort of dangerous society. S.H.I.E.L.D definitely had it's work cut out for it. She pushed the door to the techhie room open, looking out over the slight balcony above the computer people. She grinned when she saw her friend, who hadn't even bothered to look up at the whir of the door opening. That gave Oliviya an opportunity to make half a grand entrance, and that was enough for her.


End file.
